“If we did like them, we would win all the World Cups”: a French leader praises the training of footballers… in Belgium

Mathieu Bodmer, sporting director of Le Havre, France, expressed his admiration for the training systems in Belgium and the Netherlands.

During his appearance on the show RMC MarketMathieu Bodmer, former player and current sporting director of Le Havre, did not hesitate to praise the approaches of clubs like KRC Genk, Anderlecht, PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar.

According to Bodmer, the key to success lies in a clear methodology from an early age: “At 12 or 13 years old, there is already a working methodology: a motor skills coach, other sports on the side… We are not yet at this level in France.”

Despite an exceptional talent pool in France, Bodmer regrets a delay in structuring French training centers… while praising the Belgian centers: “If we had the same ideas and the same way of working as the Belgians, we would win all the World Cups. This week, I received a Belgian sports director from a club who works rather well. They say that they do not have the same equipment, not the same quality of players, at the start. They are obliged to have good training ideas.

A question of means

Mathieu Bodmer also mentioned financial constraints. He explained that some clubs spend up to 12 million euros per year on their training center, a sum still unattainable for clubs like Le Havre: “We, to find five million, which is already substantial… We are still far away.”

For Bodmer, ambition should not be limited to the first team. He admires clubs which, like PSV, have a global vision and regularly train high-level players: “What I like is guys who have a global project for the club,” he concludes.

Mathieu Bodmer